This morning the Plattsburgh Press Republican is reporting that eight anglers were rescued from melting and broken ice on Lake Champlain Thursday.

At about 4 p.m., the Essex County 911 Center received a call that the fishermen were stranded on a section of ice surrounded by water. The eight, who were not identified but were Crown Point residents, had been fishing all day during moderate temperatures that turned their piece of ice into a drifting ice floe.

Rescue crews from Port Henry and Crown Point brought the party to safety.

[Bridgeport fire chief Frank] Thompson said the group was fishing more than a half-mile from shore when a large ice floe broke off during windy conditions and started floating away.

The group’s shanty and all-terrain vehicle remained on the ice, which shifted nearly a half-mile further out during the rescue.

Thompson called the people “very, very lucky” and urged people to stay off the ice, given the warm winter weather.

This recent spate of wintry weather will convince a lot of people this weekend that the ice is in good shape — for snowmobiling, hiking, fishing — but as these stories suggest, caution is a must this year.

Hat tip to John Warren at Adirondack Almanack for pointing the In Box to the Saratogian article.

Last weekend, there were 4 pickup trucks out on the lake where I live. I take that as a sign that it is safe for me to take my snowmobile for a spin on the lake. But it also makes me wonder– who would take a truck out on the lake? Why park next to another truck on the ice? These trucks have to retail for $25 – 30K, and if they fall through, I don’t believe the damage or recovery would is insurable.